Ralph Emery, the country music radio jockey and television host who rose to popularity on Nashville's WSM, died on Saturday at Nashville's Tristar Centennial Medical Center of natural causes, according to his son Michael. He was 88 years old when he died.

Don McLean, the singer-songwriter behind "American Pie," was among those paying tribute to Emery today.  “Ralph Emery was my friend. I did his show many times and he was kind enough to send me a Christmas card every year. He had that special country music knowledge and that voice,” McLean said in a statement provided by his publicist. “Ralph was to country music what Mel Allen was to the Yankees.”

Emery, who was born on March 10, 1933 in McEwen, Tennessee, is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the National Radio Hall of Fame. From 1957 to 1972, he worked as WSM's all-night disc jockey, hosting live performances and interviews with country music legends such as Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, and Marty Robbins. During his 50-year career, he also hosted a number of nationally syndicated music shows, including Pop! Among his many albums are Goes The Country, Nashville Now, Ralph Emery Live, and Ralph Emery's Memories.

Emery attended broadcasting school under legendary Nashville radio personality John R (born John Richbourg) and landed his first broadcasting job at WTPR in Paris, Tennessee, later moving on to WNAH, WAGG, WLCS, WMAK, and WSIX, where he got his first full-time radio job, his first affiliation with a network (ABC), and his first experience in television as a wrestling announcer for WSIX-TV.

Emery was also a published author, with titles including More Memories (1993) and The View From Nashville: On the Record with Country Music's Greatest Stars after his autobiography Memories in 1991. (1998).

The memorial's plans have yet to be revealed.